And the resurrection continues!! Here I am!!
What's going on? Well... I'll try to summarize, but it's pretty hard to do so in a few lines! I could have informed you all more, but I didn't want to be "too boring" with the subject...
Yes, there's a big mess right now, and a great celebration too! Today Catalans can "vote" for our future, although the vote is not really useful or legal, according to the Spanish government. Let me explain a little:
Catalan people always felt not fully as a Spanish one: not everyone, for sure, and it usually meant no real need to "separate". For instance, five years ago, if you asked me, I felt a lot more Catalan than Spanish, but I didn't want to go apart. The thing is, a part of the Spanish people (not all, again, but an important part) like to criticise Catalans and, what's worse, the current Popular Party government knows that criticising Catalans makes them win a great deal of votes (in Catalonia, the Popular partly has already few voters, so no danger of losing too much). With the current government, it went from bad to worse. The Education ministry wants to change our education system (where Catalan is the main language), changing our law, our believes, our tradition... etc, etc.
Catalonia gives a lot of money to the central government, but receives every year less. We understand that, if we are a rich part in Spain, we can share it with other poorer parts. Problem is: we receive so few that a lot of important infrastructures are every year worse (like the train I use every day to go to work!). They promise something by law, and then they change the law without problem. These are only little examples...
A few years ago, with the previous government, it was approved a new "Estatut" (some laws for Catalonia in which there was stated the money we would give and received, our education system, etc.). The governement said they would approve what Catalonia will approve. We all vote in a legal consultation, and it was for the new Estatut. Then, Spanish governement started cutting one thing here, another there. With the Popular Party in the power, the Estatut was simply reduced to nothing.
From this point on, a lot of Catalan people who had no problem with being Spanish changed its mind, and started asking for a consultation about becoming independent or continuing in Spain. Three years ago like 2 milion people (according to some media... it might be less, but more than 1 milion, for sure!!) made a huge demonstration in Barcelona. One year ago, again, a lot more than one milion Catalans made a human chain from south to north of Catalonia, asking for the consultation. This year, again and again, even more people made a giant "senyera" (our flag) in the center of Barcelona. The greatest part of these people wants independence, but not everybody!! I know a lot of people who feels good in Spain but wishes to be able to vote for that.
The Catalan governement finally said yes to the consultation, set for today, 9-november. Spanish government hurried as ever before to report that to the Constitucional Tribunal and declare this illegal. Then, Catalan government changed the type of vote: it would be not a consultation with legal validity, so nothing illegal would be done. It would be no official... it's not what we wanted but at least, it was something... Even that non-official-consultation has been reported to the Constitutional Tribunal and banned. But people here all wanted to vote, to say what we want, to know how many people wants to remain like we are or to change our status, and the "consultation" is being done.
Today I've voted. My parents-in-law (my mother-in-law is not born in Catalonia, like thousands or milions of people here, and voted the same), Xiquet and I voted. At midday, more than one milion people had voted... and a lot of ours yet to vote! Almost everyone I know wants to be able to say our opinion, whatever this is. Is that not democracy?
The great problem is that the Spanish government is afraid. Every time they say something against Catalans, or cut some money, or want to change our education system, or... a new pro-independence is born. And they fear that a legal votation, like the one made in The Wales, would say we want the independence. Believe me, five years ago, it was impossible: it has been they who made a lot of us change our minds! If anything changes, people here will be every day more against Spain.
Today we've been able to vote. Let's see what happens tomorrow. Only thing sure: our wish of independence is fully peaceful. If any violence had happened (very few), it has been started for pro-Spain and extreme-right-wing people. We made several demonstrations with one or two milion people (from a 7 milion people "region") and no violence had happened. But, again, from some Spanish media, they want people to believe we can be dangerous. No war will become from that, we are not that way.
We only want to be treated with fairness, and be able to express ourself in a democratic way. It seems Spanish government fears democracy...
Sorry, I almost never speak about this subject so... the day I do, I can't summirize it short!
PS. I'm curious... what your media says?
NTSMS has gone Miskolc! 